2015 Ford Mustang: The View from Dearborn

Ford unveiled the all-new 2015 Mustang with a world-wide splash: a day of press conferences in New York, Sydney, Shanghai, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and the company’s world headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Popular Hot Rodding was on the ground in Dearborn for the home office reveal. Here’s a report.

2/27Conventional coupe and convertible Mustangs will be offered, but there are currently no plans for a glass-top model.

It’s been 50 years now since Ford invented the pony car with the original 1965 Mustang, and the package is pretty well defined. Naturally, changes to the basic envelope will tend to be subtle, on the order of tweaks. So while the Mustang’s S550 chassis platform is totally new, says Ford, the wheelbase remains identical to the previous generation at 107.1 inches, and the overall length is just a tick shorter at 188.3 inches. The roof has been lowered 1.5 inches and the body is 1.6 inches thicker through the hips, creating a lower, wider silhouette---and a longer look overall, even though the body is fractionally shorter.

Here’s the major visual change for the sixth-gen Mustang: The adoption of the EVOS concept/One Ford corporate design language with its trapezoidal grille and other brand-wide styling cues. Integrated with the Mustang’s traditional long hood, short deck, and familiar three-finger taillamps, the look manages to be fresh and familiar at the same time—which is probably exactly what the Ford stylists were shooting for.

Three available powerplants have so far been announced, all boasting somewhere north of 300 horsepower: an updated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 with 420-plus horsepower; a 3.7-liter DOHC V6 with a preliminary rating of 305 hp; and to mild surprise, a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four with over 300 hp and 300-plus lb.-ft. of torque. Six-speed manual gearboxes and limited-slip differentials are standard with all three engines, while the optional six-speed automatic transmissions include paddle shifters.

The 2015 Mustang is 200 lbs. lighter than the previous model, says Ford, and interesting options include a performance brake package with 15-inch front rotors and six-piston calipers. Of course, the big mechanical news for 2015 is independent rear suspension. That’s right: The venerable rear live axle is finally gone for good. Four-cylinder turbo? IRS? It seems the All-American pony car is evolving some European hardware and specifications, and according to Ford, that’s quite by design. The Blue Oval company intends to market the latest Mustang in all its active markets around the world, with emphasis on Europe, Asia, and Australia. But obviously, America will continue to be the Mustang’s most important market, accounting for 90 percent of the production output of Ford’s Flat Rock, MI assembly plant. The new piece is scheduled to hit showrooms in the USA and Canada late in 2014.